August 2027: The Coronation Part VII.

When Lawrence woke up the next morning, it was to find the other side of the bed empty. Adam was obviously already on his way to the studios where he and Sam were to start to film the scenes with the actors portraying his English family. He saw that it was just after 7am, which gave him plenty of time before he had to leave to travel to London Bridge station, taking the tube to Bank from Holborn and changing there to the Northern Line. He headed into the kitchen to find a note from Adam, telling him that he loved him and to enjoy his day, stuck to the back of the bedroom door as he went.

He poured himself a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice, then sat down in front of the television to watch the early morning news programme on the BBC. There was, of course, much talk about the Coronation after the headlines have been discussed, but it was light-hearted, concentrating on the good things rather than the bad. He considered changing over to one of the American news stations to see what was happening back home, but he decided against it. He made the bed and tidied up, then went to the supermarket to get what he would need to make spaghetti for them all that night, as it seemed a shame not to take advantage of the kitchen that they had been provided with. As well as those items, he also purchased fresh baked bread, butter, and cheese, then picked up some cooked meats as well, so that they could make sandwiches.

The bread smelt so good that as soon as he got back to the apartment, he cut a couple of slices and made himself a cheese sandwich, then settled down to eat it with a cup of tea whilst watching the celebrity conversation on a show that was an institution according to Adam. It had been presented by the same host for decades, the motherly Lorraine Kelly; he ended up becoming so engrossed by the programme that he lost track of time and had to hurry to catch the tube.

He still managed to arrive at London Bridge in plenty of time. As soon as he stepped out onto the vast concourse that existed beneath the tracks, he realised that it actually felt familiar from his last trip to London before the Queen had died. Admittedly the place was lighter now, bathed in the light of late summer rather than under the clouds of winter. He had initially wondered how he would find the exact spot where he was to meet up with Joan, but in the end it was simple enough; all he had to do was follow his ears, as someone was playing the organ, letting rip with a piece that Lawrence knew was the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by JS Bach, familiar to him from films and television.

He approached the organ to see that a small crowd had gathered around it to watch and listen, then saw something that made him realise that the world really was very small. He walked up and said with a smile, "Something like this would go down a storm at Grand Central Terminal…"

Kitty spun round on hearing his voice, then rolled her eyes in amusement. "We travel over 3000 miles to another continent, and we still end up bumping into the neighbours," she replied with a laugh in her voice. "Artie heard about this organ being here at the hotel last night, and one of the scenes in the new movie calls for James to meet a contact at a London railway station. She is scripted to be playing a piano…"

"This is so much better though – more theatrical and dramatic, plus the concourse is open, modern and on a different level from the actual trains, so filming here would be less disruptive to day-to-day life," added the director from his position beside his wife. "Admittedly I don't know how easy it would be to get permission to film in a railway station in London, but I do think this station is the one; the script intended St Pancras or Paddington, but in my opinion, this place beats them both hands down. Of course, if we film here then she can no longer live in a village in Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire or Berkshire, which means that the search to find a quintessentially English village will need to start all over again."

Lawrence nodded, then checked his watch to see when Joan would be due. It was thinking of her that made him think of something else. "If you aren't in a hurry, hang here with me for five minutes and you can meet Adam's grandmother. She is coming in from a village in Surrey, the one where Adam grew up, and her train is due in about now. Ask her all about that village – can I just say quaint cottages, narrow tree-lined lanes, and a village green with a pub and a church nestled in a graveyard full of trees…"

Joan appeared a few minutes later and was surprised at first to see that Lawrence had company. He greeted her warmly, then made the introductions; he introduced Kitty, and then Artie, but there was no need to tell her what he did after he said his name. "The film director!" Joan exclaimed. "Now, can I just say that I think that my Adam would be perfect casting for a role in a Bond film – don't you agree, Lawrence? He is the very epitome of an Englishman! Maybe not as the titular character, but certainly as an associate…"

Artie chuckled, and replied, "If the casting was up to me, then I would have him onboard in a heartbeat, but alas, it isn't. However, I might have more luck in getting his home village on the screen though, if what Lawrence was telling me is true. According to him, it is…"

Joan interrupted him before he could finish. "Yes, that is the case; I believe that the well-used phrase for it is 'Chocolate Box', dating back to a time in this country when, quite ridiculously in my opinion, scenes of idyllic villages were used to sell boxes of confectionary. When you have lived in the area for as long as I have you don't really notice it as much, but I guess that it is picturesque. I can't anticipate there being too many objections to a film crew shooting a blockbuster movie in our narrow streets, just as long as it wasn't too disruptive to normal life. The fact that there would obviously be a financial gain to the village would assist as well, as the church fund is always in need of generous donations for a start…"

Artie nodded, and then asked for the name of the village, something of which he wasn't aware of as yet. He then googled it and searched for images. The first few pictures were enough to convince him that it had potential, but he needed to see it in person. Thus, as Lawrence and Joan headed out of the station, he and Kitty made their way to the ticket machines to purchase tickets for a day trip to rural Surrey…

With Artie and Kitty heading out of town, Lawrence did wonder whereabouts he would be heading, but he did not have long to wait for the answer. Joan strode through the station, and he had no choice but to follow her as she guided him back into the tube, and onto the train, alighting at Bank. This time though it was not to change trains but to head outside into the City of London. He found himself standing outside the Bank of England…

"Ah, the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street!" Joan exclaimed with a smile. Her words left Lawrence a tad confused, until she explained the origins of the nickname that had been given to the institution they stood outside in 1797; the place which controlled the finances of the United Kingdom, and the building that had once upon a time housed all of the country's gold reserves….

"I believe that they do keep some gold bullion in there even now, but only a small amount. A lot was shipped out at the start of the Second World War, away from the likely path of an invasion by the Nazis, and from the bombers. Most of it was sent to Liverpool, which some see as strange, as it was as likely to be bombed as London. Those people miss two major points; the vaults at Martins Bank in Liverpool were built to withstand a bomb, and secondly, that it was only a transhipment point. No-one knew until after the war, but the entire gold reserve was moved on to Canada, bit by bit, so that should the United Kingdom fall, the empire could carry on fighting. I think they moved the equivalent in today's money of $52.22 billion…"

Lawrence's eyes widened at the thought of so much money, but they did not linger outside the Bank, moving on past the Mansion House, home of the Lord Mayer, and into Walbrook, stopping outside an office building. "So, this is our first stop - welcome to the London Mithraeum. It is an ancient Roman temple, dating back to the 1st Century, discovered during the clearance of bomb-damaged buildings in the mid-1950s, and now preserved by the owners of the office building above."

Lawrence nodded, intrigued by the idea that there could be such a historic place in the heart of the great city. He allowed Joan to lead him inside, fascinated to be able to see something that predated Christianity as a major movement. Quite how it had survived so intact in the very centre of one of the world's major financial centres was as much a mystery as what was actually worshiped in the temple, and why…

The museum was small, fascinating and best of all, free. They headed from there to have a spot of lunch at Leadenhall Market. As soon as they stepped inside, Lawrence began to think that the building seemed strangely familiar, which was ridiculous, as he had never been there or anywhere close by before now. It was just as they were about to enter the small and very traditional restaurant that Joan had booked them a table for lunch at that it hit him. "This place was used to film some of the Harry Potter films, wasn't it? I thought that it was somewhere that I had seen before when we stepped in, but I didn't connect the dots until this very second!"

"You are correct; that opticians over there doubled up as The Leaky Cauldron, a place that Harry and Hagrid visited, or so Adam tells me. Now, the main reason we are here is because the food here is very traditional, simple and delicious," replied Joan. Lawrence suspected that wasn't the main reason at all, but he let it pass. However, once they started on lunch, he began to reconsider his assumption, as the food was wonderful. He found himself eating a Scotch Egg, along with a slice of Gala Pie, and wondering just how such an even slice of egg could be found in each piece of the latter…

As they ate, Joan told him how she had first come to know of the café; it had been a regular haunt of her late husband. Adam had not told him much about the man, but it transpired that he had worked in the City… "He didn't work anywhere as grand and important as the Bank of England, but when he started to work at the National Provincial Bank's Head Office in Bishopsgate, five minutes' walk from here, he still had to wear a pin-stripe suit and a bowler hat each day… He survived the merger with the Westminster Bank in the late 1960s, eventually leaving just before the Natwest as it had become known by then was absorbed by RBS. He kept in touch with goings on, and predicted all of the disasters that would come… He was so pleased when they renamed the business the Natwest Group the year he died…"

Joan stopped for a moment, blinking tears out of her eyes as she recalled her late husband. Then with a smile, she said, "He was a good man, and I have to say that his ring suits you. He would have approved of you, say that you were right for our Adam… His youngest brother was gay, but that was at a time when such things were a scandal, and had it come out then his career could have been impacted. The times were so very different. His brother left England and moved to Amsterdam. When he fell ill in the mid-1980s, my husband was left so distraught by it. We had to lie, of course, and tell everyone that he had died from an incurable cancer…"

Lawrence nodded, knowing what had really killed Adam's great-uncle at once…

After they finished lunch in the historic market, Joan escorted Lawrence to somewhere that could not have been more different – the Barbican complex. It was a modernist vision in concrete, constructed on part of the centre of London that had been completely destroyed by the Blitz. He wondered quite why they were there, although he knew that there was a theatre and concert venue somewhere inside. It was quite a surprise then when she walked him into the Barbican Conservatory, which was a huge glasshouse filled with all manner of exotic plants; banana palms grew amidst the flora, creating what amounted to a virtual rainforest in the city…

"Kew Gardens might be bigger and better known, but this is the second largest collection of exotic plants in the capital, and it is right here in the heart of the business district; it comes as quite a shock to most people that it exists," said Joan as Lawrence took it all in. He had to admit that he wished there was something like it back in Manhattan, a place where green foliage could obscure and soften the brutal concrete. "There is also a cactus garden up on the top level," Joan added, which shocked him even more.

After spending half an hour wandering around, including a walk up to see those cacti, they left again and headed via Farringdon station to the Elizabeth Line, and thence on to Bond Street. They exited onto Oxford Street, but headed away at once, going north into the maze of streets to reach Manchester Square and the building that housed the Wallace Collection, a gallery and museum that Lawrence had never heard mention of. He said as much to Joan, and she smiled.

"That is one of the problems, as it must be in New York, of living in a city with so many big-name museums and galleries; the smaller ones end up overlooked, even if they do hold amongst all of their other treasures a painting that most people have actually heard of. The problem is that people expect to find it in the National Gallery, or the Portrait Gallery around the corner; instead, it is here…" With those words, Joan lead Lawrence inside the building, taking him straight to the picture in question, The Laughing Cavalier.

Lawrence smiled at the sight of the painting, the facial expression of its subject obviously showing mirth, though at what he had no idea. He had to admit that he only knew about the painting because Adam had mentioned it; it had been his late grandfather's favourite work of art. Back in January he had assumed that they had not seen it because of the whistlestop nature of their tour of the National Gallery, but now he knew it was because it wasn't located there, but in a building that from the outside looked like a rather nice Georgian house, a rare survivor in the area to the north of Oxford Street.

"At one point in the history of the collection, when finances were tight, it was suggested that this picture should be sold to the nation, so that it could join the other great works in the National, but the trustees had more sense. It fits in so much better here, and to be honest, it helps to keep this entire collection open to the public," remarked Joan, and Lawrence had to agree. They wandered then around the rest of the collection, the rooms smaller and less crowded than those in the major venues that Lawrence had already visited…

On leaving, he fully expected that they would make their way back south to Oxford Street, but instead they headed east, then north again up Marylebone High Street. They called in first at a Waitrose supermarket to pick up a few items Joan required, and then headed a few doors up to what Joan called the most traditional bookshop in London, now that Foyles had abandoned its old higgledy-piggledy store for more modern premises. As soon as he stepped in, Lawrence had to admit that Daunt Books was beautiful, an Edwardian store that had made few concessions to the 21st Century. The long oak galleries that ran the length of the store under the vast skylights were as attractive as the books that the shelves contained. Joan had come to pick up a book she had ordered, and she did so as she left her guest to stare. That done, they headed north once more, up to Euston Road, and then on towards Regent's Park.

They did not enter the park itself, as time was moving on, but stood for a moment at the entrance to the tube station of the same name, from where they could get a view across the street into the southern edge of the park and see the grand houses that lined it. "Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks, laid out at the time of the Regency of the man that would later become King George IV…"

"His father was thought to be mad, wasn't he?" said Lawrence and Joan smiled at him.

"Well, it is nice to see that they teach the history of this country properly at some of the schools in the United States at least; they don't really touch on anything before Queen Victoria in the curriculum that exists in our state schools here now, and I think that is a tragedy. Now, this park was part of a grand plan by the then Prince Regent to redesign this part of the capital city, and it came about at the same time as Regent Street was also built; the architect for both was a man named John Nash. The monarch was influenced by what was being done in Paris by Haussmann; it is not quite on the same scale, but it is beautiful, and was mercifully left almost unscathed by the Luftwaffe in the Blitz, and spared the horrors of the developers in the 1960s…"

Joan paused, shaking her head at the excesses of that era, then pointed towards the houses they could see along the park itself. "Unlike elsewhere in London, most of those houses are still one home, residences of the wealthy; they are completely altered within in most cases, but even now the chance to live with a view over the unspoiled Regent's Park is prized. Of course, the American ambassador's residence, Winfield House, is also in the park…" Lawrence nodded, knowing how prestigious such an address must be, but also realising that said homes must be worth millions…

"Before we head down into the tube, I just want to draw your attention to that tall and strikingly white stone building over there. It is now the White House Hotel but was built in the 1930s as apartments in the most modern art deco style. At the time it was the tallest building in the neighbourhood, although now it is overshadowed by that horrible glass and concrete building next door. That building is what saved this neighbourhood from the Blitz. It could be seen from above on even a cloudy night thanks to the white stone, and its distinctive shape made it an unmistakable landmark. It was used as a navigational aid by the Luftwaffe and was so valuable as such that it was left strictly untouched by order of the most senior commanders of that force. Of course, it is also rumoured that there was another reason for that; that after a successful invasion by the Nazis, it would be used as accommodation for senior members of the Gestapo. After all, Senate House, the tall building at the heart of the nearby University of London, was supposedly in line to become that organisation's headquarters in Britain…"

The station at Regent's Park was a quiet one by the standards of London Underground and boasted the original tiles that had been placed on the walls when it opened more than a century before. They boarded a westbound train towards Baker Street, Joan declaring that their day was now at a close. They headed to the platforms of the Jubilee Line and waited there for a southbound train. "I hope that you enjoyed our little jaunt around London," Joan said with a smile. "Of course, when I come to visit you in New York, I shall have to see all of the must-see buildings, but hopefully there will be an opportunity to see a few of the less well-known spots as well…"

Lawrence grinned, and responded, "Well, I think that you will find the New York subway system a lot different from the tube for a start…"

"Yes, Adam has told me that I should bring my own cushion if I don't want to sit on hard plastic for a start. Still, it does have the advantage of express trains; here in London we only really have the Metropolitan Line that does fall into that category. It runs fast north of here right out to the suburban edges, the Jubilee line making the local stops along the same route to keep the journey times out to Amersham and so on more reasonable…"

At that moment a train came rushing in, and there was a rush of air, noise and then crowds as people alighted and then they boarded the busy train. Joan found a street close to the door, and Lawrence stood at her side. "Now my boy, you should alight at the next stop, Bond Street, and you can take the Central Line from there back to Holborn. This will take me straight to London Bridge and then back home, so there is no need to accompany me. Now go on, no arguments." Lawrence nodded, and then, as he was about to alight, Joan said, "Give my love to Adam, and tell him that I will arrive at JFK on the 21st…"

It was only as he squeezed onboard a busy eastbound Central Line train that it hit Lawrence – she had just said that she would see Adam at JFK two weeks from Saturday. His fiancé had made no mention that his grandmother was coming to visit any time, let alone later that month. True, back in January she had said in front of them all that she would be coming to see him in New York at some point, but he and Adam had both dismissed it as an empty promise at her age. That, coupled with the fact that according to Adam's mother, the old lady had never made it any further than the Channel Islands in her life, had made the notion of her travelling over 3000 miles, when she didn't even possess a passport, a wild one….

He decided that Mrs Crawford would be the best person to call in the circumstances; even if she was as much in the dark about her mother-in-law's plans as he and Adam had been, she was in a much better position to investigate the situation. As soon as he had left the tube and crossed the busy main road outside Holborn station, he called her from his cellphone, and got through in no time….

"If you are calling to tell me that she is heading for London Bridge and can I meet a certain train, she has beaten you to it," said Annie Crawford as soon as he said hello.

"No, that is not why I am calling, it is something that she said as we parted. Her last words to me were to tell Adam that she would be arriving at JFK on the 21st, presumably meaning this month. Now, that is the first I have heard of it, and if Adam knew that she was coming to visit, then he would have told me…"

There was silence for a moment, and then Annie replied, "It is the first that I have heard about it too, but it does explain why she needed to go and buy new summer clothes and a new suitcase last month. I won't confront her with it, but I will go home with her and have a good look about whilst I am there. For a start, she must have applied for a passport, and she would have needed someone to help her with that, given how it is all digital now – she is okay on a mobile phone, but wouldn't even know how to switch on a computer, let alone apply for a first passport!" Then Annie took in a breath, and said, "I might need to pop in by the village stores on my way to the station. You can still apply via the Post Office, and that is where she would have gone in all likelihood. Right, I suggest that you had best tell Adam what she said, and when I find out more, I will get back to him by text or e-mail."

Lawrence agreed to that and ended the call. He hurried back to the apartment, as he had dinner to prepare…

Adam and Sam would arrive back within the hour, both satisfied with how the day's filming had gone. For Adam, meeting his screen family for the first time had been a great joy as he had seen all of them at work before, but had never in his wildest dreams imagined he would work with them one day. His onscreen sister was the actress that the home audience in the United States would know, as she had once played a midwife on a certain very popular show. His onscreen brother had been a classmate at his first theatre school in London, and a close friend for many years; that gave them the close bond that brothers should have onscreen, and it was apparent that fact delighted Ms Kudrow no end…

The actor and actress playing their parents were veterans of stage and screen in the UK, but little known outside, which was ideal. All four of them would be flown over to New York at some point to be present at Darrin and Clive's wedding, when the episode that contained that event was scheduled. As well as them, there were a handful of other actors, who would play neighbours of Clive's parents, his sister's boyfriend, and his ex-sister-in-law.

They had much to film, but the scripts had all been learnt well, so that in most of the scenes they were filming, the first take was sufficient. Only one scene required retakes, and that was the one in which Adam and his old friend were having a brother-to-brother chat, as they kept breaking into giggles at one particular line, and that laughter began to spread across the crew as they watched on…

They had also been given the final news on the scenes where they were supposed to be watching the procession pass by; they would shoot them on The Mall on Friday, as it would just be impossible to even attempt to do so on Saturday. That meant that they now had a day off on Saturday, which was excellent news, but left them with a quandary as to where they would go to see the big event. They could get up early and try to find a spot on The Mall to watch things – Sam even suggested that they just stay there after they finished the filming – or did they just do what most would do and watch it on the television? Even that choice, a wise one when they saw the weather forecast was not good, was fraught; did they stay in the apartment, or head to Surrey to watch with the Crawford family?

The spaghetti that Lawrence had been preparing for dinner was ready minutes after the two actors arrived back, a meat sauce served over the fresh pasta and fresh bread to accompany it. Lawrence allowed them to tell him how their day had been before he told them all about where he had been. Sam instantly wondered how Artie and Kitty had got on in the depths of rural Surrey, and once Lawrence had finished his recollections, he excused himself to call his old school friends, promising to pass on any information that Artie gave him about whether Adam's home village would be a Bond shooting location.

As soon as Sam left, Adam chuckled and shook his head. "My village in a Bond film; it seems so unlikely, but if Artie thinks that it is what he is looking for, then I guess it might just happen."

Lawrence smiled, then said, "There is one more thing that we need to talk about, and I didn't want to mention it in front of Sam. Adam, are you planning to be at JFK on Saturday the 21st to meet someone off a plane?"

Adam looked at his fiancé, and when he saw that he wasn't joking, he shook his head. "No, not that I am aware of… Have I forgotten something?"

"As she was leaving me earlier, Joan told me that she would see you at the airport when she arrived on the 21st. I have a horrible feeling that what we thought was a threat back in January was actually a promise…"

"Are you 100% sure that was what she said? The tube is so noisy, and words can easily get distorted…"

Lawrence looked at Adam with disbelief for a moment, but then he wondered if he could be right… "Well, I decided that I needed to check on it anyway, so I called your mom. She was as surprised as you, but she said she would check up on a few things…"

At that moment, before Adam could say a word about his fiancé dragging his mother in, his phone buzzed with an incoming e-mail. He glanced at the details, and saw it was from his mother, as if she had been summoned by the merest mention of her name. He hastened to open it and was confronted by a picture. He recognised the clock in the background as one that sat on his grandmother's bedside table. In front of it were two things. A passport, with Joan's picture and name inside it, and next to it, a printed ticket for a flight from Heathrow to JFK for Saturday 21st of August…